Business and economic news for the Santa Barbara region

La Entrada Developer to Speak March 10 at El Paseo

Downtown Santa Barbara will host Michael Rosenfeld, who will discuss building La Entrada, one of the biggest projects in the city on lower State Street, at the organization’s annual 2016 awards breakfast at 8 a.m. March 10 at El Paseo Restaurant, 813 Anacapa St.

Rosenfeld is founder and CEO of Woodridge Capital Partners, a Los Angeles-based real estate development and investment firm. The company is developing the long-derelict area between Cabrillo Boulevard and Yanonali Street.

Rosenfeld’s boutique hotel and luxury residential project, known as La Entrada de Santa Barbara, includes the old Hotel Californian, which has changed ownership three times during the past 16 years. Expected to open this summer, La Entrada will include 123 rooms, retail space, paseos and parking spaces, one block north of Cabrillo Boulevard. Woodridge is working on other projects in the downtown area.

“We are excited about all the changes coming to Lower State Street,” said Maggie Campbell, executive director of Downtown Santa Barbara in a press release. “(We) look forward to hosting Mr. Rosenfeld to hear why he is so bullish on investing in Downtown Santa Barbara.”

Downtown Santa Barbara has more than 1,400 members. It manages the Downtown Santa Barbara Business Improvement Districts, which collect fees to provide services to make downtown a cleaner, safer and vibrant place for visitors, investors and residents.